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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.

His son, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. The current president was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.

The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.